I'm sure there are a million posts on this, and I probably started a few already myself We are having a tough time with DS (3 years) over the last week.
- He is suddenly becoming really easily frustrated. If a toy breaks or doesn't work the way he wants it to, it becomes a huge meltdown, screaming and crying, and if you try to help, he screams and yells at you, and will often lash out and try to hit or will throw the toy across the room. Previously, he had been good about asking for help if he needed it.
- He is a lot more physical--he will start out gently kicking or poking us, and when we ask him to stop, will do it harder and harder. It is very defiant because we are asking him nicely to stop and he is staring us right in the face as he does it more and more.
- the above behaviors generally are leading to automatic time outs (for hitting, kicking, throwing toys). We pick him up and bring him to his room, and he becomes even more out of control--hitting us, trying to bite, throwing himself around his room, screaming. Sometimes he calms down in his room and comes out and apologizes, and sometimes we go in and get to a point where we hug it out.

My question is, how would you handle this? time outs don't really seem to be effective in terms of limiting the behavior as he knows that hitting is an automatic time out but he does it anyway. He has also started saying things like "I'm a bad guy, this is a bad day, I'm not being a good listener," which I don't like hearing the negativity. We never tell him that he is bad, but we do tell him sometimes he's not being a good listener at that moment.

Of course, I"m sure this is related to the new baby in the house (DD is almost a month old). But while I do want to cut him some slack because of the baby, these behaviors are still unacceptable...